


Maybe I'm Wrong

by SuppleLittlePumpkin



Category: Blues Brothers (Movies)
Genre: 1970s, Alternate Universe - 1970s, F/M, Meet-Cute, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pre-Canon, Pre-Relationship, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-06
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:41:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27414409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuppleLittlePumpkin/pseuds/SuppleLittlePumpkin
Summary: My self insert fanfic I've been writing for self indulgent reasons.Takes place before the movie and is informed by the books.BB2000 is a fever dream Elwood had in prison
Relationships: Elwood Blues/Original Character(s), Elwood Blues/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 9





	1. Elevator

**Author's Note:**

> I decided to rewatch Blues Brothers at the end of September, and I invited some of my friends to watch it with me.  
> And, to make a long story short, me and a few of my friends have been obsessing over it.

The gig at the Falls Hotel had been dynamite. The band had been partying all night, and at some point in Elwood's drunken haze he thought it would be a good idea to handcuff himself to the elevator railing. He was enjoying himself immensely, riding the elevator up and down, and singing loudly to himself.

A few people get on and off the elevator paying Elwood little mind. Elwood ignored them as they passed through. They were nothing more than guests trying to get to their rooms.

That was until she started singing.

He was momentarily confused by the accompaniment. He hadn't even noticed her, leaning against the back wall of the elevator. She was about Jake's height, with a round face, and very short faded blue hair. She was dressed very plainly, in a black tank top, warn blue jeans, sneakers and a bag hanging at her hip, black with a light brown mushroom print.

She looked very tired.

She had an expressive silvery voice, and it washed over him like a wave. He suddenly felt every word like they were a part of him. All the joy, all the sorrow, with just as much heart as if she were the one who wrote them. Instead of getting off the elevator at her floor she stayed, swaying gently as she sang along.

She knew every word, and they sang their hearts out.

This went on for what must have been hours. Near 4 am she looked at her watch and sighed. “It's getting late, I should go to bed.” She hit the button for the second floor and they rode down in silence. Elwood suddenly felt very anxious, he didn't want her to go. He wanted her to stay in the elevator all night, and sing with him.

They arrived at the second floor and the doors slid open, and she took a step towards the door.

“Wait!” Elwood piped.

“Yeah?” She hummed tiredly.

“Can- Can I get your name?”

“Not sure you're sober enough to remember it.” She could see the disappointment on Elwood's face as she said this “You can call me Pippi.” She amended, giving him a soft smile. And Elwood practically melted.

“Pippi.” Elwood sighed.

“Pippi Gallows.” She added. A dopey smile spread across Elwood's face.

She turned and strode out of the elevator. “Goodnight Elwood!” She called as the doors slid closed, and the smile didn't leave Elwood's face for the rest of the night.

* * *

It had to be the Penguin. Only Sister Mary Stigmata could hit so hard, so fast. Elwood curled into a protective fetal ball, but still the kicks came, shuddering painfully through his whole hung-over body. He tried to open his eyes... really tried, but there was a faulty transistor blocking his brain's command. Elwood felt two hands shaking him violently. Thank God for that, because it shook open his eyes. His pupils recoiled from the harsh fluorescent light as he focused on the outraged, hulking shape of Bill Halvorsen, general manager of the Falls Hotel.

Elwood's right hand hurt like hell. He looked up and noticed it dangling above him- handcuffed to the railing. “Jesus,” he marveled aloud. “I'm handcuffed to the fucking elevator railing.”

Halvorsen smiled like he had a mouthful of bile. “Nice guess, Mr. Wizard. Now where the hell's your big brother? Do you know that your band ran up a _three-thousand-dollar_ room service bill this weekend? Shit, someone with a southern accent drank five hundred dollars worth of my Napoleon brandy alone!”

Elwood drew himself up with all the dignity available to a man handcuffed to an elevator, and said, “Sir, we have several band members with Southern accents - Bones, Duck-”

“I'm not finished, El-wood,” Halvorsen interrupted. “I haven't gotten to the two thousand dollars in fire and water damage. That's right, Mr. Blues, your boys wrote their names in various liquors and colognes in my third-floor hallway and then lit them. I'm sure it made a pretty fire -” Halvorsen's face was dangerously red, the veins in his neck bulging like hydraulic cables - “but it also destroyed my carpets and set off the sprinkler system, which flooded the entire floor.”

“Sir,” Elwood said, standing up shakily as the elevator hit the second floor. “Sir, my brother and I will be glad to pay-”

“I'm not finished, _Blues_.” Halvorsen took a menacing step closer, and Elwood felt like a monarch butterfly pinned to velvet. “My night man said he saw my...my daughters swimming _nude_ with that pig brother of yours! They are _sixteen years old_...do you know what that means?”

“We've reached my floor,” Elwood said as the doors opened. He leapt for them, only to come flying back in a handcuffed heap.

“Are you alright!?” Came a new voice. Both men turned their attention to the voice. There just outside of the elevator stood a nicely dressed woman with long wavy black hair, and a mushroom print bag. She took two long strides into the elevator and helped Elwood to his feet.

“Thanks.” Elwood muttered. The woman looked familiar but he was having a hard time placing her. She turned from him for just a moment to hit the lobby button on the elevator. Elwood glanced at Halvorsen who had been strangely quiet. Halvorsen stood slightly back, face red as a tomato, with a furious glare aimed in his direction, clearly waiting for the woman to leave so he could throttle Elwood.

The woman continued to stand uncomfortably close to Elwood. He felt something brush his wrist, and the handcuff loosened and came off without a sound. He glanced down at her, she was staring, disinterested, off into space. She took the other end of the handcuffs off the elevator railing, and Elwood felt her slip them into his blazer pocket.

The woman looked back to him as the elevator doors slid open.

“Good luck, Elwood.” She said softly. Then it hit him like a ton of bricks, this woman was the same woman from last night.

“Pip-”

“Run.” She interrupted.

Elwood, in his excitement, had almost forgot about Halvorsen. Elwood shot out of the elevator, running as fast as he could through the lobby and out of the hotel. Shouts of rage followed him.


	2. Take Me Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friend Rain makes a cameo in this chapter.

Now that Jake was in Joliet the band didn't sound right. Elwood knew he didn't have Jake's charisma and he did his best, but this last gig hadn't been good. They didn't exactly sound bad, but it was clear they where missing something. After the mediocre gig, the band had expressed their displeasure with the quality of their sound without their frontman, and they had made it soberingly clear that they didn't think Elwood could take over, even as a temporary replacement.

Elwood had no other recourse. So he proceeded to get as drunk as humanly possible.

* * *

  
Elwood sat slumped in his chair, fretting about the band breaking up, and what he was going to tell Jake. Perhaps he would lie, telling lies was a lot easier when you didn't have to actually say them out loud.

Vaguely Elwood was aware of someone pulling out a chair and taking a seat at his table.

“Why so glum, El?” Asked a calm voice, Elwood almost didn't recognize. Elwood looked up, and was greeted by a familiar face.

“Pippi?” Elwood wasn't sure if his eyes where playing tricks on him.

“The one and only.” She grinned.

“You see the show?” Elwood asked, miserably.

“Yeah. You guys where fantastic, but to be honest, it feels like there is something missing without Jake there”

“Yup. The boys thought so too, so they decided to quit.”

“Oh, honey. I'm so sorry to hear that.” She put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

“I don't know what I'm gonna do. They're all gonna take straight jobs, an' I'm gonna be left behind. An' I can't tell Jake the band broke up, it'll break his heart.” Elwood was getting more and more worked up by the second.

“Your alright El. Your gonna be fine.” She soothed, putting her arm around his shoulders and giving him a sort of half hug. “Listen, maybe you should worry about this in the morning. No use getting yourself all worked up over it, especially when you can't do anything about it tonight. How about I take you home?”

“T-take me home?” Elwood muttered, getting the exact wrong idea.

“Yeah, come on, I'll take you home.”

Elwood swallowed. It wasn't as though he hadn't thought about it, in fact he had thought about it a lot since that night in the elevator. It just seemed like a strange time for her to suggest it, but he'd be damned if he was gonna turn her down.

“S-sure, sure.” Elwood stuttered. She took his hand, helping him stand up. Elwood got up unsteadily and trailed after her as she walked out of the bar.

“My car's over here.” She tugged him gently in the direction of her car and he stumbled after her. “My place alright?” She asked, turning to face him as they reached her car, a light blue '77 Chevy Vega. He looked into her eyes and suddenly he felt incredibly nervous, he nodded. “Alright, get in.”

The drive to her place was quiet, except for B. B. King's The Thrill Is Gone playing softly over the radio. The otherwise calm ride was not so pleasant for Elwood, who's mind was plagued by the possibility that he might mess things up. He did his best to play it cool, as his thoughts ran wild.

What if he finished too fast? What if he was a bad lay? What if he was too drunk to get it up? What if she saw him naked, and lost interest? What if she saw his eyes!?

No. He couldn't think like that. All he had to do was copy Jake, Jake was good with women, Jake could get any woman. Elwood did his best to imagine what Jake would do, and cringed. Maybe copying Jake wasn't such a good idea.

Pippi pulled into a hotel parking lot and got out of the car. Walked around the car and helped Elwood climb out. In Elwood's drunken haze he barely registered the sign that read: Regency Hotel.

Pippi half dragged him through the front door and into the lobby, giving a slight wave to the woman standing at the front desk.

“Hi Pippi, Who's that man with you?” Called the woman behind the counter.

“Howdy Rain! This is Elwood. He's gonna be staying with me tonight.” Pippi called back, pulling Elwood into the elevator with her.

Elwood got to sit with his thoughts as they rode the elevator. And he realized he hadn't even kissed Pippi yet. Was she waiting for him to make the first move? He supposed he should ask. Putting all thoughts of what Jake would do aside.

“P-” The elevator dinged and the doors slid open.

“This way El.” She said pulling him out of the elevator, and down the hall to room 206. “This is my place. It's kind of my temporary home, until I can find a place I like.” She said, kicking off her shoes and placing them neatly next to the door. She then turned to him. “Okay, lets get you to bed.”

She led Elwood through her small living space and into the adjoining bedroom.

Pippi pushed Elwood towards the bed, managing to get him to shuffle backward it the correct direction. Elwood dipped his head to try and kiss her, and missed by a mile, his face bumping into the side of her head. And she giggled. God he loved her laugh.

“Come on El, lets see if we can make you a little more comfortable.” She laughed, pulling at his blazer. He pressed his nose further into her hair, enjoying the soft scent of her strawberry shampoo. She managed to slip his blazer off him, tossing it at the end of the bed. Taking off his hat and placing it on the nightstand. She pushed him back just a little more, the backs of his knees hit the edge of the mattress, and he toppled backward across the bed. Doing her best to stifle her laughter, she picked up each of his feet in turn, and slipped off his shoes.

Pippi lifts his legs off the floor, turning him so he is laying correctly across the bed. Pippi took a seat at the edge of the bed and leaned over him slightly. He gave her a big dopey grin, and she smiled sweetly down at him.

“Now, El, you stay right here I'll be right back.” She got up and Elwood watched as she left the room, hoping she'd come back soon.  
When she returned, glass of water and aspirin in hand, she found Elwood fast asleep.

“Aww, he's like a drunken little angel.” She half whispered half giggled to herself. She placed the water and the aspirin on the nightstand. She carefully took off his shades and placed them next to his hat on the nightstand. Then she silently slipped out of the room, and went to sleep on the couch.


	3. Breakfast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A special thanks to my friend Liv, who helped me through the writers block I was having while writing this.

Elwood awoke with an incredible headache. He struggled to open his eyes. What little light came in through the drawn curtains was too bright. He reached his hand up to rub his pounding head, only to find his shades missing. Instantly he was panicked, he nearly jumped out of bed, glancing frantically around the room. When he found that he was alone, he relaxed slightly. And tried taking stock of what he knew.

  
He was in a strange room, but he was alone. He had some of his clothes on, and glancing around the room he managed to find the rest of his effects. He quickly put on his shades. He spied the asprin and water also sitting on the nightstand, and took some.

  
How'd he get here? Last night was a little fuzzy, but if he remembered correctly, and it hadn't been a dream, last night Pippi asked to take him home. Which probably meant this was her place. Oh God, this was her place, this was her bed. He couldn't remember, did they have sex last night? Shit, he actually managed to get her in bed and he didn't remember a second of it.

  
A soft tapping at the door broke him out of his thoughts. The door opened a crack.

  
“Elwood? You up?” She pushed the door open the rest of the way. “Oh good, you're awake. I made breakfast, if you're interested.” A smile broke across her face.

  
Elwood hadn't gotten a good look at her last night, but looking at her now, she looked a lot younger than she had in the elevator. Now that she wasn't exhausted, her face looked softer, and she had obviously re-dyed her hair, it was now a deep, rich blue. She was cute.

  
Elwood nodded.

  
“Alright then.” She flung the door the rest of the way open, and Elwood got a good look at her standing there in nothing but a camisole and a pair of very short shorts, just before she turned and headed to the kitchen. Elwood slipped out of the bed, and put on his shoes. Trying his best not to think about what she was wearing, he grabbed his hat and blazer, and followed her into the kitchen.

  
It was impossible to not think about what was right in front of you. He was getting a very, very good look at her backside, as she was grabbed some maple syrup off a high shelf. He quickly sat down.

  
Now staring directly at the meal laid out on the table, Elwood suddenly realized how hungry he was, having only eaten two slices of white bread the day prior.

  
Pippi placed the syrup on the table, and when to grab some plates.

  
“Help yourself to whatever's on the table.” Pippi insisted, handing him a plate, and then turning back to the cabinet to get herself one.

  
Elwood felt so hungry he thought he might eat everything on the table. He grabbed a fork and made a stack of three pancakes, leaving space on his plate for some bacon and eggs. He picked up a few slices of bacon and a few spoonfuls of scrambled eggs and laid them on the plate. He picked up the fork that was on the table, and shoveled some eggs into his mouth, thinking about what to say to her.

  
“So...about last night...” He began.

  
“Oh don't worry about it Elwood. I don't mind” She said, waving him off.

  
“Don't mind?”

  
“No, I don't mind taking you home. I'd rather you crash here than drive home drunk.” Elwood tried to interject, but he was struggling to speak. “That being said, I am not going to be making a habit of giving up my bed for you. Sleeping on the couch is awful.” She griped while loading up her plate with food.

  
“I don't actually, remember, what happened last night.” He finally managed to say.

  
“Oh. Well, nothing much. Your band broke up, you got _real_ fuckin' drunk, and I let you sleep in my bed.” She said, very matter-of-factly.

  
Elwood felt something between relief and disappointment. He watched Pippi eat for a moment, trying to sort out his thoughts. It occurred to him that he didn't know what hotel they were in.

  
“Say, we're not at the Falls Hotel, are we?” He asked, almost nervously.

  
“No, I don't live there anymore, this is the Regency Hotel. It's a lot closer to Chicago. A couple of people I know got me a job here as a maintenance man.” She said, taking a bite of her bacon.

  
“Maintenance? That pay any good?” Elwood inquired, and resumed eating.

  
“Pretty good, but I don't really enjoy the work.” Pippi started to fiddle nervously with her eggs. “I mean it's okay when they send me to fix things in unoccupied rooms, but it really sucks ass when I have to go and talk to the guests. Sometimes they're real fuckin' rude, Especially when it takes a long time to fix whatever problem they created.”

  
“What do you fix?” He asked casually, liberally pouring syrup on his pancakes.

  
“Well... anything actually. They have me doing anything from plumbing to electrical work. Basically if it's broke, bring it to me, I can fix it!” Her mouth spread into a manic grin. “In fact the other employees sometimes give me way funner things to repair! Like stuffed toys and jewelry!”

  
“So you'd rather be fixin' toys than toilets.” He chuckled.

  
“Of course! Have you seen some of the gross stupid shit people do to toilets!” She exclaimed, somewhere between manic excitement and disgust.

  
Elwood was entranced. She spoke so animatedly, often talking with her hands. Her seemingly exaggerated facial expressions betrayed almost every thought. He got to hear all about her job, while watching her gesticulate wildly, and he loved every second of it. He especially liked the way the straps of her camisole would slip off her shoulder, after she made particularly wild gestures.

* * *

After breakfast, Pippi drove Elwood back to the bar. They made vague plans to meet up, on some other night at that same bar. Elwood climbed into the Bluesmobile and headed home. He wondered when exactly he would see her again, or if he would even see her again.

He was still thinking about her when he arrived at his apartment. He hung up his hat and blazer, his mind starting to wonder. It began to wonder to inappropriate places, thinking about how she looked in her pajamas. Wondering what she would look like without clothes on. Lewd images appeared before his minds eye, and the Vaseline on his nightstand did not go unused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm almost finished with chapters 4 and 5.  
> I plan on editing chapters 1 and 2 soon. I want to make them longer and more descriptive.


	4. Saturday, September 24th, 1977

Elwood spent every night for the next whole week at the bar. Every night he would buy a few beers, hang around until about one AM, and leave the bar disappointed and alone. By Saturday night Elwood had nearly given up hope, if she didn't show up tonight he was going to stay at the bar until closing, get absolutely shitfaced, and never come back to this bar ever again.

Just like every night before, Elwood arrived at the Billy Goat Tavern at nine PM. The bar was crowded, not exactly surprising for a Saturday. He took a seat at a table, at the back of the bar. There, he waited, nursing a beer, and getting more and more disheartened by the minute.

Elwood watched the other patrons as they talked and laughed together, sipping on his own beer intermittently. He glanced over to a booth at the other end of the bar, where a man and woman were sitting shoulder to shoulder, sharing a beer, and speaking in hushed tones. As they laughed, Elwood looked back down at his drink, letting out a deep sigh at his empty bottle. He flagged down the waitress and ordered another drink.

Starting in on his second bottle, Elwood listened to the music, and the sounds of the other patrons chatting and having a good time, a sinking feeling in his stomach. He looked back toward the door. A couple sitting at the corner of the bar caught his eye. They were gazing at each other, and holding hands on top of the bar. They shared a few chaste kisses, and Elwood averted his gaze. And his eyes immediately landed on two people sucking face, they were practically laying across their table. He gaped at them in disgust, he wondered if that was even allowed.

“Elwood!” Pippi's voice called from close by, and he practically jumped out of his skin. He glanced at her for just a moment, before turning back to look at the couple. It was horrifying, like watching a car crash.

“Are you seeing this?” He asked in disbelief, gesturing to the couple who seemed to be seconds away from fucking on the table.

“Yeah, but what do you expect? You _are_ in a bar on a Saturday night.”

“Not... _that_.” Elwood cringed, watching them make out.

Pippi took the seat across from him. Placing her bag on her lap, she flagged down the waitress, and ordered a drink.

He managed to tare his eyes away from the couple, trying to wipe the image of them from his mind. He let his gaze rest on Pippi, who looked a little too dolled up for a casual get together. She wore a simple red dress, and a lacey white cardigan. Her black wig was pulled back into a loose ponytail, showing off her ruby earrings.

“What're you all dressed up for?” He asked, without thinking.

“Oh uh, well...I don't get out much, and I just thought that...this would be a good excuse to dress up.” Pippi said, suddenly feeling a little self-conscious.

“I didn't mean it like that! I mean, you look nice, I was just...surprized.” He said hastily.

“It's alright. I get it.” She muttered, fiddling with the sleeves of her cardigan. Elwood took a sip of his beer trying to ignore the awkwardness that was forming between them. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, she brightened a little. “So tell me about yourself Elwood.”

“What?”

She started fidgeting with her hands. “I was just thinking, I really don't know much about you. And, I hear, normal people get to know general information about one another when they first meet, y'know like: how old are you? What's your favorite color? Your favorite song? Do you have any siblings? Have you ever been in a knife fight?” She asked casually, as if she were talking about the weather.

Elwood choked on his beer. “A knife fight!?” He laughed.

“What? I'm just wondering if you've ever been stabbed, and if you still possess both of your kidneys.”

“If you were tryin' to steal my kidneys, you woulda taken 'em last week.” He commented. The waitress returned, and handed Pippi her drink, a Vieux Carré.

“Okay, but seriously, I know almost nothing about you. Other than your a musician, and your really good at playing the harp.”

“Well...I am twenty three, years old. My birthday is December 6th. Uh...my favorite color is...blue. Umm...” Elwood stumbled, wrecking his brain trying to think of random facts about himself to tell her. When he couldn't come up with anything else to say he just shrugged.

“Okay, how about this, we go back and forth? I ask you a question, then you ask me a question. Oh, but whatever question you ask you also have to answer.”

He nodded. “Sounds good to me.”

“Cool, I'll let you ask the first question.”

“Alright...um...well, I already answered this, but uh, how old are you?” Elwood asked, taking another sip of his beer.

“Twenty two. Where are you from?” Pippi quickly returned.

“I'm from Calumet City. I was raised in St. Helen's.” She gave him a puzzled look. “It's a catholic orphanage.” He amended.

“Ohh.” Her face lit up. “Wait so, no siblings?”

“I have a brother. His name's Jake.”

“Oh, cool. I'm from Hepzibah, West Virginia. But I grew up in Dublin, Ohio; spent most of my life there actually. I also have a brother, his name's Steven.” Elwood was momentarily distracted by the way the soft curls of her ponytail bobbed as she moved her head. “'s your turn.”

“Uh...older or younger brother?”

“Older.”

“Older.” He smiled, taking another sip of his beer.

“You get another one, 'cause I accidentally asked two.” She said, lifting her drink and taking a tentative sip.

“Have you ever been in a knife fight?” He asked, letting a grin spread across his face. He watched her as she took a long sip.

“Yes.” She stated cheerily, setting her drink back down.

“Christ! Really!?”

“Yep.” She reaffirmed, before bringing her drink back to her lips.

“Wait, when? How?”

“No, no, it's my turn to ask a question. What's your favorite thing to eat?” She took a long sip.

“Dry white toast.”

“It's the texture, right?” She asked knowingly. Elwood nodded. “I like cheesesteaks, bacon cheesesteaks are the best.”

“Now will you tell me about this knife fight?” He asked, taking a swig of his beer.

She supped her drink, carefully considering her words. Setting her glass down she began: “Alright. Uh...well, there was this guy, and...he was being an asshole. He...pulled a knife on me, and y'know...I may have...” Taking her drink in her right hand, she raised it back to her mouth, and spoke into the glass. “Stabbed him, a little.”

“Jesus!”

“What? It was either I stab him or he stabs me, and I'm telling you right now, I wasn't going to be the one getting stabbed.” She swayed in her seat, gesturing wildly with her left hand. “It's fine, he didn't _die_ or anything.” She said, letting her hands drop back to the table. “Okay it's my turn. Why do you wear those shades all the time?”

“Now that's not fair, you can't answer that question.” Elwood said, shaking his head.

“So? _You_ just asked a question you couldn't answer.” She said, in an almost accusatory tone.

Elwood adjusted his tie nervously. “They're prescription.” It wasn't exactly a lie. She hummed, knowing he wasn't being entirely honest. “My turn, right? ...What's your name?” She gave him a quizzical look. “The night we met, you said I was too drunk to remember your name.” He clarified. “So...what's your name?”

“Okay...my full name is... _Xanthippe, Emerald, Gallows_.”

“Christ. Really? Xanpippi, what's that Italian?”

“It's Xan _thippe_. And it's not Italian, it's Latin. Now you tell me your full name.”

“Elwood, Jake, Blues.”

“Wait,” Her face scrunched up in confusion. “Your brothers name is Jake.”

“Yep. When we were kids, we changed our names, y'know, so we'd match.”

“Aww! That's so cute! You must really love your brother.” She cooed, swaying in her seat.

“Yeah, I do. What about you, you an' your brother get along?” He asked, taking another swig of his drink.

“He is my favorite member of my family, but if I'm being entirely honest, that isn't saying much.”

“Oh, so...you don't like your folks?”

“'Don't like is an incredible understatement. I _hate_ them, with a _burning_ passion. I mean, I don't really know my dad. He wasn't really around when we where kids, and whenever I get the chance to talk to him he cries. But my mom, my mom is a terrible parent, she ignored me and my brother until we were teenagers. And then only started being nice to us so she could guilt trip us into working for her for free.” Elwood could see the frustration building in her face.

“An' here I am, thinkin' havin' parents would be a good thing.” He joked, trying to lighten the mood.

“It's not good, it's the _worst!_ They think just because they are blood related to you they can do whatever they want to you, and get away with it. And they still expect you to love them.”

“Christ.” Elwood muttered. Pippi's face softened.

“Sorry, I shouldn't just drop my baggage on you.”

“No, no. The whole point was to get to know each other.” He soothed. “It's your turn.”

She sighed, letting go of whatever frustration was building in her, and nodded.

“When did you learn to play the harmonica?”

“I started learnin' how to play when I was...eleven?” He said, a little uncertainly.

She gave him a soft smile. “You've been at it for a really long time then, huh?” He nodded, finishing off his beer, and ordering another.

They settled into a more comfortable silence, as Eric Clapton's Wonderful Tonight started playing on the jukebox. Elwood gazed at her admiringly, enjoying the way the light played off her hair. She's so beautiful. If Jake were here he would already be taking her home. But Jake isn't here, so maybe he can have this one for himself. Not just take her home, but maybe even take her out. On a proper date, to dinner, or a movie.

He decided to go for broke. “You uh...got a boyfriend?” He asked.

“Yeah, his name's Owen. I actually haven't been in many relationships before.”

“Oh.” He barely noticed the waitress when she came by, trading his empty beer bottle for a new one.

“I- uh- well... most of my relationships have only lasted a few days. I mean the longest I've been in a relationship was a week.” She started to panic. “Er... not to say that- that they were all physical! No, no they were quite the opposite. In fact, most of them broke up with me because I wouldn't sleep with them.” Elwood could feel the anxiety raising in him, and downed his beer.

“Shit, that sounds bad too. Fuck.” Pippi whispered to herself.

Frantically she spoke: “Not that I wouldn't have had sex with them! I just- I wasn't ready when they asked! I mean most of them would try and get into my pants on our first or second date, y'know, and I'm just not that kind of girl, y'know, I...” She was definitely panicking now.

“ _Oh God dammit_.” She muttered. “Y'know what, just forget everything I just said. Uh, how about you, do you have a girlfriend?”

“Uh...no, I'm uh...not the dating type.” Elwood lied, trying to spare his pride. It didn't take him long to realize he had made a mistake in saying this, but by then it was too late.

They continued their little game, getting to know one another. All the while Elwood could feel the regret and anxiety building up in him. He tried to drown the growing feeling of regret with alcohol. Pippi's sweet voice, and more than twenty beers, managed to keep him from having a panic attack.

The rest of the evening was pleasant, they exchanged phone numbers, and at the end of the night Elwood could barely see straight. Pippi tried to convince him to let her drive him home, he declined. She insisted he not drive, and he placated her by telling her he'd sleep in his car.

Even though she had shown up, Elwood still ended up leaving disappointed and alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took way longer to finish than I thought. So you might be looking at me posting one chapter every month. I hope that is not the case, it just seems to be the way things are shaping up.
> 
> Also I'm rewriting chapter one, and I will be posting those rewrites when I post chapter five.
> 
> I made a Blues Brothers discord server if you want to join https://discord.gg/VpTSFsKbGX


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